Yup - SIX sidewall rips from rock / rim pinches. Obvious, but takes 2" more sidewall to get +1" more rubber protection below the rim but it is worth it! To get 17" BMW X5 rims requires Disco3 TDv6 bake rotors, pads and caliper hangers. Also new lug nuts. The BMW rims have better back spacing, so no spacers needed. 100% best mod I have done since sliders. Wonder if this mod would also work on a LR4?

My surprise "gamechanger" was trading +1 taller tire for -1" less suspension lift gave me way more articulation and TRACTION. My wheeling buddies were sure I cut out my sway bars or something since the LR3 no longer had a tire in the air at every obstacle. Way less waiting for photo ops interruptions now. The 33"s defiantly help keep up with Disco2, LC80, and JKU Rubicon all on 35"s .

 

Wait....what do you mean by -1" suspension lift??? What about gearing? No issue with all that unsrpung weight and higher rotational inertia? The Coopers at 275/65R18 are claimed (by Cooper) to be 32.6" OD, so I suppose it's not that much larger. I do envy the larger sidewall but I'd not want to run X5 rims versus LR rims. No consideration of finding the 5-spoke rims off the V6?

 

Offroad I used to run GAP trick +2" (and EAS offroad mode) for ground clearance of ~12". Now with +1" taller tire, I run GAP +1" adjustment for the same ~12" clearance except now with +1" more suspension flex/droop with more traction.

AFAIK: The 17" Land Rover rims were never sold in the US and expensive to ship. Its not the LR3 V6, it was the TDv6 with 17" rims. The 2006ish 17"x7.5" BMW X5 wheels come 2 styles and readily available for $50ea (shipped). Weight is +13lbs (vs LR 18" 10 spokes LT275/65r17). With these gorilla nuts (https://amzn.to/3iMROjQ) the rims work great. The 2006 X5 was just over 6000lbs.

 

...how do you not rub on those tires with that much lift?

 

The BMW wheels have little better back spacing and that really helps.. No rubbings in the rear and front frame horns still in place no problem. Too fit the 32" duratracs at stock height, I had already flattened the rear HVAC line/seam and relocated some wires from the side to the top of the frame.

I did have to trim a couple inches in front of the front tires. I am right up to the washer bottle now. Access mode still rubs front bumper with anything more than 50% turning. After I took the rear sway bar out, I needed to run +1" to keep the rears from rubbing when fully articulated.

 

Awesome mod! Thank you for sharing. Really has me thinking about when and what to do next.

 

I'm going to be putting a set of BFG T/A KO2 Tires on my LR3 next week. Size 265 60 18. Using Discount Tire in Middleton, Wisconsin. Will probably choose to pay the additional $30 per Tire 'Insurance'-type policy, which apparently means they will swap out for a new Tire, if I damage mine. Anybody have experience with this Discount Tire service? I have been running Cooper Discoverer AT3 for the past few years, but I want to get a bit more 'aggressive', tread-wise.

 

Discount Tire is excellent. What I like about Discount Tire is if you get a puncture they will repair it for free. Also free rotation and balance for as long as you have the tires. I highly recommend getting your alignment checked after install, the LR3 - as you may know - likes to eat tires up. So if the tires get down to minimum tread (2/32" typically) before the tire millage rating, then you can get your next set prorated a little. Having alignment data helps with any claim like that. As for the extra insurance, it can certainly pay for itself but seemed like a waste to me. Also iI paid about $200 for the insurance, which was actually the price of one new tire anyway. Maybe that is why it seemed like a waste to me.